Sports · Football · 2 hrs ago
Etienne Vaessen suspended for four Suriname internationals
CONCACAF suspended Suriname goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen for four matches after a fight following a Nations League game against Guatemala.
Surinamese players faced racist chants from Guatemala supporters during the match.
Vaessen received three matches for his part in the fight and one for an obscene gesture toward the crowd.
Guatemala also received fines, and players Jonathan Franco and Carlos Estrada were each suspended for three matches.
Suriname director Brian Tevreden later said the team should have left the field, while FIFA president Gianni Infantino and coach Henk Fraser criticized the racism.
Vaessen will miss Suriname’s next four internationals.
CONCACAF suspended Suriname goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen for four internationals after his involvement in a post-match fight following Guatemala-Suriname.
The suspension covers three matches for his part in the altercation and one for unsportsmanlike conduct toward the crowd.
The incident followed racist chants directed at Suriname players during the Nations League match.
CONCACAF also fined Guatemala and suspended Jonathan Franco and Carlos Estrada for three matches each.
- Who
- Etienne Vaessen, goalkeeper for FC Groningen and Suriname.
- What
- He was suspended for four Suriname internationals. Three matches are for his involvement in the altercation, and one is for unsportsmanlike conduct toward the crowd.
- When
- The suspension was reported on October 30, 2026. The match date is not stated.
- Where
- After the Guatemala-Suriname Nations League match. The venue is not stated.
- Why
- CONCACAF cited Vaessen’s involvement in a post-match altercation and unsportsmanlike conduct toward the crowd. The fight followed racist chants directed at Suriname players during the match.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Suriname players were confronted with racist chants from supporters.
A fight broke out, and Vaessen was involved in an altercation with Guatemalan players.
CONCACAF’s disciplinary action against Vaessen and Guatemala was reported.
- Vaessen's suspension
- Four Suriname internationals
- Altercation penalty
- Three matches
- Conduct penalty
- One match for unsportsmanlike conduct toward the crowd
- Guatemala suspensions
- Jonathan Franco and Carlos Estrada, three matches each
- Governing body
- CONCACAF